#60 The Lie Factory

In 1419, a couple of years after he lost his papal secretary job and discovered Lucretius, Poggio did what everyone does when they are shit out luck and scraping the bottom of the barrel. He moved to England. He accepted the post of secretary to Henry Beaufort, bishop of Winchester and uncle of Henry V. Poggio hoped to find some intelligent life in England and maybe a valuable ancient manuscript. He was disappointed on both counts. So in 1422 he returned to work for the Vatican again, or, as he liked to call it, “The Lie Factory”. Meanwhile he kept trying to get Nicky to send him a copy of Lucretius so he could read it. Once back in Rome, he starts to make money – and illegitimate children. LOTS of illegitimate children.